Zoomph is a social media platform that displays tweets, posts, and pictures at live events. BC is using the service to present fans’ social media involvement on the new video boards during each game.
Now, tweets about the game scroll along the video boards and photos of fans pop up between pre- and post-game reports. Player headshots appear alongside stats to keep fans informed.
“We also have silhouette trivia!” said Moore. The audience tries to guess who the football player silhouette is based on fun facts about each player.
The stadium also uses the video boards and ribbon for advertising and information about the team schedule and game locations.
“Before, there were maybe two places to look to get information. Now there are 10 places to look,” said Bates.
Content Creation and the Boston College Experience
Those who know of and attend BC football games know that Boston College is not a school losing many fans to the living room, even before the new video boards. BC football is not merely a game; it’s an experience.
Fans come not just from all over campus but from all over the state to attend games at Alumni Stadium, which lives up to its name. BC alumni are some of the most loyal alumni in all of college football, attending games for years after graduating and in many cases throughout adulthood. I was lucky enough to witness this as a BC student, and again every fall as I return to attend at least one game every season.
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Comfortable seating coupled with tailgating festivities and student t-shirts with the school’s colors created specifically for football games make Alumni Stadium a one of a kind sports venue. The stadium also attracts with excellent food, far beyond your typical hot dogs and soda. Under the stands, several vendors and carts offer a wide variety of concessions including pizza, popcorn, sausage sandwiches and clam chowder.
But what makes every game special is the overwhelming BC pride. That’s why it was important to the school to be involved in the content creation for the boards and ribbon. Daktronics created the majority of the content from logos, photos, videos, and even illustrations provided by BC.
“We took helicopter footage, flying across the reservoir,” said Moore, referring to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, a key landmark on campus. This footage was converted into video content played before each game. “We saw the unveiling of the board sequence and the touchdown sequence, and both look authentically ‘BC.'”
All video content is operated from a control room overlooking the field. When the team scores a touchdown, a tech operator cues the touchdown sequence. During time outs, the control room manages all social media content being aired on the video boards, as well as advertising and promotional activity.
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And it’s working. The first game with the new boards and content was broadcasted on ESPN, and John Moore said they showed the boards “more than I’ve ever seen stadium tech be shown during a game.”
It’s big for Boston College, it’s big for schools in the northeast,” said D’Amico. “Now you’re talking about technology that, in the past, has only been seen in the big schools and now Boston College has jumped right into that conversation.”
The upgrade is sure to earn Alumni Stadium respect, attention and energy in the months and even years to come. And as for the living room… this BC alum thinks fans are going to have a hard time staying home from the game this Sunday.
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